A New Life
by Twilight Luna
Summary: Andrew has a normal mundane life, a job, and a family. That is until a mysterious portal appears in his home and whisks him away to a land filled with magic and talking ponies. If given the opportunity to go home, would he take it? Can friendship show him where he should be? Note: This takes during season 3 and the main character has never heard of MLP
1. Chapter 1 - An Uncertain Future

**This is my very first fan fic. So I'm sure there will be lots of mistakes. Please be kind.**

 **If you see anything wrong or have any constructive criticism, please let me know...**

 **Chapter 1 - An Uncertain Future**

Andrew sat at his desk mulling over the message on his computer screen from his boss. Part of him was ecstatic at the opportunity but another part of him felt quite the opposite. No matter how many times he read it, a part of him felt like saying 'yes', would be a big mistake.

He couldn't shake a part deep inside of him that had misgivings about it. Like it felt that accepting it would further cement this path that he had chosen which is not going where he expected it to go. Bringing his hand up to his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, wishing that the day would just end. The fact that he didn't have any other classes today gave him a little relief.

As Andrew sat deep in his thoughts, one of his colleague popped his head over the wall of his cubical. It was Terry, his supervisor. Terry looked over at Andrew's desk and looked at the photo of a young boy and girl on a roller coaster. The boy looked terrified while the girl was pointing and laughing at him.

"Isn't your sister's birthday coming up soon? Are you going to visit her?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, it's in a couple of weeks." Andrew replied, looking back at the same photo.

Terry saw the distress in his friend's eyes and sighed. "Look, I know it's none of my business but have you ever thought about..."

Andrew turned his head to look at Terry with a puzzled look, "About what?"

Terry moved his hand in a circle. "You know, doing something else? Don't get me wrong, you're good at your job. You even surprised me at how quickly you picked some things up. Heck, the boss noticed. But wouldn't you be happier doing something else?"

"Ugh. You're starting to sound like my father." Andrew rubbed his forehead.

Terry held his hands out in defense. "Hey, I'm just trying to look out for you. Me? I'm only doing this job so I can pay for the honeymoon and get a nicer apartment or house down the road. Doing technical support call center work isn't for everyone you know."

"Well, if you want to talk about sometime, let me know. Speaking of which, me and the other guys are going out for drinks later. Do you want to come with us?"

A few moments later, Andrew pulled himself away from his screen. "Thanks but I'll pass."

Terry sighed and shook his head. "If you keep turning them down like this, they're going to start taking it personally.

An email popped notification rang on Andrew's phone. He looked at it and it was an email from his father.

"Speaking of the devil. Is that what I think it is?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, another one. That makes the second one this week so far." Andrew groaned.

"You should really give it another chance." Terry said.

"And fail again? I told what happened what happened when they had me sit on that one class?"

"Oh yeah. The teacher had to use the bathroom and told you to take over. You just stood there and couldn't say a thing. Then you ran out of room into the hallway and-"

"Thanks. I remember what happened." Andrew rolled his eyes. "Not exactly my proudest moment."

"Sorry." Terry said before clearing his throat. "So maybe teaching wasn't your thing. I couldn't teach a room full of spoiled brats but there has to be something else you can do."

"Yeah, well if I don't get these evaluation reports submitted to Mr. Jacobs, I just might have to."

"Ouch. Good luck with those."

"Thanks." Andrew smirked.

* * *

During his walk home, Andrew noticed that the mostly clear sky above him started to darken. Drops of rain started to bathe him. He was grateful that his apartment wasn't very far away from work. Minutes later, Andrew made it back to his apartment building, only managing to get a little wet from the rain. Walking up to his door, he thought that he could hear a very faint humming sound. Turning his head to look down the hallway, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was probably coming from one of the other apartments, he thought to himself. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and unlocked the door.

Andrew walked into his apartment and threw his bag onto a chair in the living room. He opened the fridge to find something to eat. He was exhausted from his day of work and classes to do any real cooking. He found some leftovers and heated them up. Nothing too elaborate, just something that his mother taught him. After the meal, he turned on the TV and relaxed on the couch for the evening. Sometime during the second TV show, he had trouble keeping his eyes open and put his head against the pillow, falling asleep.

A couple of hours later, Andrew was awoken to the sounds of thunder and lightning piercing the night sky. As they got closer, the power suddenly flickered a few times and then went out. Wondering if everyone else's power went out as well, he go up to look outside the window. He saw that the street lights were still on and the other apartments had power as well which only turned his puzzlement into anger.

"What the..? Oh, come on. I paid my bill last week." Andrew growled in frustration and sat up. "Where the hell is my phone?"

With no sounds but the noise from his neighbors, Andrew searched for his phone on the table by the couch. The light coming in from outside helped illuminate the room. Before he could find it, the serenity in the apartment was cut short by a familiar humming noise. Andrew thought that it sounded a lot like what he heard earlier outside his door. Before he could finish his search, a small bright shining sphere appeared out of nowhere in the living room. It was no bigger than his hand. On closer examination, it wasn't white but a mixture of all colors. The colors were swirling and changing with each beat of his heart, which was beating pretty fast night now.

"What the hell is that thing?" He wondered as he moved a little closer to get better look. He hadn't seen anything like this before except for in movies.

All of a sudden, the humming sound got louder and the orb started to pulsate almost like something was trying to escape from inside of it. Andrew got off the couch and started to back away from it, not knowing what was going to happen next. Suddenly, there was a bright blinding flash of light that emanated from the center of the orb, followed by a pulse of energy. He felt it hit his body like he had been shoved really hard and it knocked him to the floor. Momentarily blinded and dazed, Andrew shook his head to get his bearings. He rubbed his eyes until his vision returned. After re-adjusting his glasses, Andrew turned his gaze back to the object in the room.

The sphere had grown in size to be as nearly as tall as he was. It was now a circle with a purple glow around it with rainbow colors swirling inside of it. The air around the sphere started to crackle as if it was giving off a lot of energy. Suddenly, the bright colors in the center of it started to swirl around faster until a shape started to appear in the center but he couldn't tell what it was. The image wasn't very clear but he could swear that whatever it was, it looked like the head of a horse. It had teal eyes and something like a horn on top of its head which was glowing.

"It can't be. Is that a unicorn? There's no way this could be real. I must be dreaming."

The horse started to speak but Andrew couldn't fully understand what it was saying. Whatever it was, he could sense from the sadness in its voice that it was in distress.

"Amelia, are you -? Please, I miss -. Everything is so different now since -. She won't - anymore. She only cares - while I -. You were - best friend. I-. Please come back to -. The - are getting worse. They're telling-do something horrible."

"Who in the hell is Amelia? That's it, I've had enough of this. I'm getting out of here."

Before Andrew could make a run for it, the face disappeared and was replaced by swirling lights that flowed down a tunnel which seemed to go on forever. After Andrew saw his table get sucked inside of it, he felt himself being pulled inside of it as well. It was like an invisible hand had latched onto him. Panicking, Andrew frantically waved his arms around, trying to grab a hold anything. As his legs disappeared inside of the portal, he managed to grab onto a leg of the couch. The sweat on his hands made it difficult to hold on until only his fingers were left touching it. A few moments later, fear overtook Andrew as the couch leg slipped from his grasp.

"NOOOOOOOO!" He shouted just before the rest of him was enveloped inside. The strain was too much for him and he passed out.

Once he was completely inside, the ring pulsated and disappeared in a flash of light along with the glowing orb. The room was dark again. All was quiet in the apartment as if nothing had happened.

Andrew felt like he was falling through the vortex. Tears were flowing from his eyes as he felt like he was being torn apart. It seemed like it went on forever until a flash and the bottom opened up to to show a grassy field. Andrew landed hard on the ground and blacked out.

* * *

On a hill, on the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle sat with her telescope pointed up at the sky. This night, she was studying the constellations and making notes of their positions in her notebook as she observed them through her telescope. Sitting around her were some snacks, a stack of parchment, and some books. As she was making notations in her notebook, part of her wished that her friends were as interested in astronomy as she was. But like with a lot of things that she liked to do, she did them on her own. [i]If only I could have somepony that could share my interests[/i], she said to herself.

"This is so exciting! I hope that I get to see some shooting stars tonight." Twilight said gleefully.

As if the heavens were answering her call, a bright shooting star raced across the night sky making her gasp. Soon several other ones appeared as well. Giddy as a school filly, she started making notations in her notebook. This went on for several minutes until something caught her attention. In the corner of her eye, she saw a bright light in the field below her. The light expanded with shimmering colorful lights around it. Twilight stared at it intently, wondering what it was. Suddenly, something appeared from it and tumbled several feet from it.

The portal disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided to check it out and started galloping as fast as she could. She had never seen anything like this before. Part of her was both scared and excited.

"It's some kind of creature!" Twilight gasped bringing her hoof to her mouth, not believing what she was seeing. It didn't look like anything she's ever read about before in any of her books. And she a lot of them full of pictures of creatures from all over Equestria but nothing like this. She surmised that it must be a mammalian type creature.

"Is it alive?" She asked quizzically to no one but herself, tilting her head to the side, bringing her hoof to her chin.

On closer inspection, Twilight noticed that its chest rose and fell gradually. Even without knowing its biology, she guessed that it was still alive but knew that she should act quickly. During her studies, she had learned some basic healing spells but decided against using them since she didn't know enough about the creature's anatomy to try them.

"Well, I can't leave it out here or it could die. I need to get it inside. I'll send a letter to Princess Celestia once I figure out what this is."

Knowing that she needed to act quickly, the lavender pony used her magic to load her telescope, books, and notes back into the cart. She then closed her eyes to concentrate as she cast a spell to teleport both herself, the cart, and the creature back to the library. In a blink of an eye, both of them were gone.


	2. Chatper 2- A New World

**Chapter 2: A New World**

The next morning...

Andrew's mind snapped back into consciousness as he let out a gasp. His eyes shot open and he quickly sat up on the bed that he was on. The immediate pain to his head made him regret the sudden movement. Placing his right hand against his temple, he laid back down. The throbbing pain was enough to keep him from wanting to open his eyes for the moment. It felt like someone had smashed head with a cinder block.

A minute or so passed before the pain in his head started to fade away. More slowly this time, he sat back up again. His thoughts slowly went back to what happened before he had blacked out. The memories started coming back to him in bits and pieces. While he played back the events over and over again in his mind, he barely heard the sound of something clip clopping towards him.

"Oh good, you're finally awake." A voice suddenly said, startling the human.

Looking to the left, Andrew's eyes widened in shock as he looked at a lavender unicorn with a magenta mane with purple stripes. Staring back at him were a pair of violet eyes, still trying to determine what he was. All he could do is stare back at her in shock, his mouth hanging open until he let out a shout.

"What in the hell are you? Get away from me!" Andrew backed up in the bed, trying to get away from creature in front of him.

Surprised by his sudden outburst, Twilight took a couple steps back. She raised her hoof and spoke, "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. I'll try to explain everything to you if you give me a chance." She looked at the human who was sitting in a fetal position and continued. "I found you outside in a field behind my home last night. You were unconscious so I brought you here." She said trying her best to sound calming and reassuring.

"I must be dreaming." Andrew said, not believing what he was seeing and hearing. He pinched the skin on his arm until it hurt just to be sure. "Ow! I guess not. Damn it."

"I can assure you that you are not dreaming. Just take a deep breath and relax." She said with genuine concern. "My name is Twilight Sparkle but you can call me Twilight if you would like." She said holding a hoof to her chest. " What is your name?"

Andrew placed his hand over his chest and took a few deep breaths before answering. "I...I'm Andrew."

"Its nice to meet you. I'm sure like me, you have a lot of questions. Do you know where you are?" Twilight asked the human.

Andrew shook his head. "I have no idea. One minute I was in my apartment and then I woke up here." He looked around before continuing. "Wherever this is."

"You are in the Golden Oak Library located in the town of Ponyville." Twilight replied.

Andrew racked his brain trying to figure out what was going on but nothing rational was coming out. "Ponyville?"

"That's right. It's located in the land of Equestria." Twilight nodded.

"Wait a second. I'm sorry but this is just a lot to take in at the moment." After taking in a deep breath, Andrew continued. "Let me get this straight, I'm in a place called Equestria where horses that can talk?"

"Actually, we're called ponies, not horses." Twilight stated matter-of-factly. "More specifically, I'm a unicorn and there are other creatures here that can talk as well. Can't ponies talk where you're from?" She asked with her head tilted to the side with a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, where I'm from they're called actually horses and they certainly can't talk. Creatures like unicorns just don't exist where I'm from except in children's books and fantasy novels."Andrew replied, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"Wait, so you're not from Equestria?" Twilight asked.

"I think that's pretty obvious." Andrew raised an eyebrow and let out a light chuckle. "I'm what's called a human from a planet called Earth and..." He looked around. "this is definitely not it."

"By Celestia, this is not good at all." She said placing her hoof on her chin before she to look at him again. It looked like she was deep in thought. "Well, I promise you that I will look into getting you back home. In the meantime, it's still pretty early in the morning but I would be happy to stay up and talk with you some more, if you'd like."

Andrew could tell that she was trying to be friendly and he appreciated it but right now wasn't the best time for him. "I appreciate the offer...but all of this is lot for me to take in right now. I...I think it would be best if I was by myself for a while." He replied shaking his head with a dejected look on his face, staring at the bed.

"I suppose you're right. This has been a bit of a shock for you." Twilight nodded and turned away from him.

Twilight walked over to the steps, before stopping to turn her head to look back at the human. "I will be downstairs doing some reading if you need anything. If you are up to it later, hopefully we can talk more. I would like to learn more about where you're from." She said with a concerned look on her face before looking at the ground.

Andrew nodded with a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Twilight."

With one last look at him she nodded. Turning her head, she made her way down the stairs. Moments later, there was nothing but silence except for the thoughts in his head. Andrew don't know how long he sat there, his eyes not really focusing on anything. His brain was going a mile a minute trying to process everything that Twilight had just told him. _Why did this happen to me? I didn't ask for this. What am I going to do? How am I going to get home?_

Andrew laid his head back down on to the pillow. He closed his eyes and tried to take slow deep breaths. _'Maybe when I wake up, this will have only been a dream and I'll wake up in my own bed. Yeah, only a dream...'_ He kept repeating that to himself until sleep finally overtook him once again.

* * *

Sometime later, Andrew was awoken by the sounds of birds chirping by the window. Turning his head towards the window, he saw that it was still light out. ' _How long had I been asleep_ ', he wondered to himself. He looked around the room hoping for it to be his apartment but his heart sank when he saw that it wasn't.

Andrew's train of though was broken by a voice coming from downstairs. "Andrew, are you awake?" He could hear Twilight calling out to him.

"Y..yeah. I'm awake." Andrew replied, rubbing his eyes trying to wake himself up. "Twilight...right?" He asked the unicorn, trying to remember her name.

The sounds of hoof steps got louder as she came upstairs to the loft. "That's right. Are you feeling any better?" She asked with a warm smile.

Andrew sat up and put his glasses back on his face, "I am feeling a little bit better than before. Thank you, Twilight. Like I said before, this is a lot to take in."

"That is good to hear. I can't begin to imagine what you're going through but I'm going to do what I can to help you get through this. You're not alone in this." She said trotted over and placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder, smiling at him.

"I appreciate that, Twilight. I really do." Andrew looked at her with a small smile.

"You must be hungry, would you like to join me for some breakfast?" She asked, taking her hoof off of his shoulder.

After everything Andrew just seen and heard today, he didn't feel much like eating anything. "Well, I.." Before he could respond, his stomach let out a rumble causing him to place his hand over it. His face turned red from embarrassment.

"I'll take that as a yes." Twilight giggled. "Just come downstairs when you're ready." She said as she went down the stairs.

A few moments after she left, Andrew pulled back the covers and swung his legs over the side. He stood up on the wooden floor. His legs were a little stiff from laying in the bed for so long. He did a few stretches and the circulation soon returned.

Finally getting a better look at his surroundings, Andrew noticed the room was quite spacious. To the right of the bed, there was a large window with a view of some buildings outside. Along the other side of the bed, there was a mirrored vanity and a shelf with some books and photos on it. Looking back at the bed he was just laying on, it was the only one here so Andrew figured that this must belong to Twilight. Not wanting to be rude, he made the bed before he left.

Andrew made his way down the stairs to the next floor with some more windows that let more natural light into the room. There were shelves along the walls that looked like they were built into the oak walls of the library, filled with books. A stone fireplace set along one wall with a sofa nearby it. There was also a writing table with a bottle of ink and quills on it. A door off to the side led outside which looked like to balcony. There was another set of stairs going to a lower floor.

"Oh good, there you are. The kitchen is this way." She said with a smile, motioning with her hoof.

Andrew followed behind her as they walked inside the kitchen. It looked just like any other kitchen with cabinets and drawers along the walls as well as appliances and a refrigerator and a sink. In the middle of the room was a simple square table with two chairs on either side and a silver vase with flowers and a bowl of apples.

"By the way, do you like oatmeal?" Twilight asked, turning her head to look at the human.

"Umm...yeah. Oatmeal sounds good to me." Andrew shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright. Sorry, but I don't know what humans eat. I guess I should have inquired about that earlier." She remarked while getting pot off the wall and placing it on the stove.

"That's alright. We eat pretty much anything, except for hay and flowers." Andrew leaned against the table, placing his hands in his pockets. "Is there anything that I can help with, Twilight?"

"Sure. I don't know about you but I like fruit in my oatmeal. There should be some berries in the fridge. Can you get them for me, please? Twilight pointed to the refrigerator with her hoof.

"Sure." Andrew replied, walking over to the fridge and opening it. Inside, he found the container of a mix of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. When he turned around, he stopped in his tracks, not believing what he was seeing. Above the stove, a measuring cup of oatmeal and a measuring cup of water as being poured into a pot. They were surrounded by a purple field as they floated in the air. Andrew noticed that Twilight's horn was glowing the same color.

Andrew's eyes widened and his mouth opened. In his state of shock, he almost dropped the container he was holding. "W-wait a minute. How..how are you doing that?"

Twilight looked over at Andrew as she placed both items on the counter and let out a giggle. "Do you mean what I'm doing with the these? Its a simple levitation spell. It's one of the first spells I ever learned." Twilight said as her face beamed with pride as placed both cups on the counter used her magic to stir the contents of the pot with a spoon.

Andrew nodded profusely. "Yeah, how are you doing that? The spoon is glowing and so is your horn." He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. "It's like you're using magic."

"You're correct because it is magic." Twilight chuckled, placing a hoof over her mouth. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm guessing from your reaction that you've never seen any magic before?"

"You could say that. On Earth, there is no magic. We have magicians who appear to make things move and disappear but that's no real magic. It's all illusion and slight-of-hand." Andrew explained.

"No magic at all? Very interesting." She said rubbing her chin with her hoof.

"Well, I think that's really cool. Hopefully you can show me more sometime." Andrew remarked with a smile.

"Really? I would love to show you!" Twilight exclaimed before realizing how excited she sounded and turned her head in embarrassment.

Twilight turned back and continued stirring the oatmeal until it was done. Using her magic, she retrieved two bowls from the cupboard and filled them with the oatmeal. After she was done, they both sat down at the table and enjoyed their breakfast. Despite his current situation, he had to admit that it was the best he's ever had!

There was an awkward silence in the air as the human and pony didn't say anything as they finished the last of their breakfast. Occasionally, Andrew caught Twilight glancing over at him with those violet eyes but then she would immediately turn her head away. He could tell that she wanted to ask him some more questions but something was holding her back. Maybe she didn't think he was comfortable talking about it yet. Andrew decided that he would let it all out there for her.

"It's alright Twilight. You're probably wondering what I am and how I got here." He let out a deep sigh and folded his arms across his chest. "I've been thinking about the later part myself."

"I am very curious. Can you tell me anything that you remember from before you woke up this morning?"

Over the next several minutes, Andrew described how yesterday was a regular day for him. That was until the portal appeared in the apartment. He didn't leave any detail about about the face of the pony that he saw in the portal, what it said to him, or the fear that he felt as a force sucked him inside of it. Twilight listened intently while writing everything what he said in her notepad, not wanting to miss anything.

"I don't remember anything after that until I woke up here."

"That is very interesting," Twilight said holding a hoof to her chin. "From what you described, it sounds like some form of inter-planetary travel but I'm not familiar with what you described. I'm also curious about that face you saw. You're sure it was a unicorn?"

"That's right." Andrew nodded before continuing. "The horn on its head was glowing as it spoke but I couldn't understand what it was saying. Do you have any idea of who it could have been?"

"I'm afraid not." Twilight shook her head but saw Andrew's face all at her response. She tried her best to lift his spirits. "But don't worry though, I will do my best to figure it out."

Despite Twilight's friendly nature and hospitality, all Andrew could think about was getting home. His friends and family would start to worry about him soon when they don't hear from him. His parents usually called him on the weekends. He couldn't imagine what it will do to them when he suddenly disappeared without a trace. _Would they think that I ran away or that I was dead?_ No, he can't think like that now. He needed to have faith that Twilight or someone here can get him back home. His half smile turned into a look of melancholy.

"You're quite welcome but I didn't do it all by myself actually. After I brought you back here, you were still unconscious. Unfortunately, I know very little about healing magic. So, I teleported to the Ponyville Hospital and asked Nurse Tenderheart if she could take a look at you. She was able to heal some of the injuries you received from the fall."

"Well, If I see her, I will have to thank her as well I guess."

"Speaking of which. She said that she would like you to come by the hospital for a check up. Just to make sure everything is alright."

"Going outside? Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, wouldn't I stand out and draw attention? I don't want to cause any trouble." Andrew asked, sounding a little apprehensive.

"You have nothing to worry about. The ponies in Ponyville are some of the nicest ponies you will ever meet plus I'll let the mayor know you're here. It'll be fine." She said smiling.

"Well, if you're sure...then I will go with you." Andrew said as he stood up and carried his plate over to the sink. Twilight carried her plate to the sink as well and they left the kitchen.

Out in the main entrance to the library, Andrew stood in the middle of the room a gasp at all the books surrounding him. Despite the situation, he was tempted to spend time reading the books. In the middle of the room, there was a round wooden table with a wooden bust of a pony's head on it . Off to the side, there was an adjoining room with even more shelves and books. A few moments passed until he gave into temptation and approached the nearest shelf.

 _Oh well, one look couldn't hurt. Could it?_

Andrew was so engrossed at reading the titles from the spines that he almost didn't became aware of some giggling behind him.

"See something you like?" Twilight asked, holding a hoof to her mouth.

Andrew turned around. "Sorry, I..uh.. couldn't help myself."

"It's quite alright. I sometime get lost in reading books too, especially with books about magic. Those are my favorite books. History is a close second though." Twilight declare with a big smile on her face.

"I like to read about history myself. It's one of my hobbies." Andrew scratched the back of his head. "Maybe you will teach me a little about your history as well."

"I would really like that. Maybe later?" Twilight smiled.

"Sounds good. Well, shall we go then?" Andrew said motioning towards the door.

Twilight nodded as she used her magic to lift a pair of saddlebag onto her back. They were gray and embroidered with her six-pointed star, just like her cutie mark, on them. The door glowed violet as it opened. She trotted through first as he followed behind her. The door closed and locked behind them.


	3. Chapter 3 - Ponyville

**Chapter 3 - Ponyville**

Walking outside to Ponyville for the first time, Andrew raised a hand over his eyes to block out the bright sunlight. After blinking a few times, his eyes soon adjusted to the light. From what he could see, the buildings had a very midievel-style to them; timber-framed with thatched roofs overhanging the upper floors. There were ponies of different color and manes as well as strange marks on their flanks. They were going about their daily business on such a beautiful day. Andrew looked over at Twilight and saw one on her as well. Hers was a large star with five smaller ones around it. He made a mental note to ask her about that later.

Putting his hands inside his pockets, Andrew decided to inquire about where they were going. "So, where do you need to go to in town?"

Twilight pulled out a piece of parchment from her saddlebag using her magic and held it in front of her. "Just a few places. Let's see here...I need more parchment, ink and quills, some food and talk to the mayor about you."

"Sounds simple enough." [i]'Why did she need my help then?'[/i] Andrew wondered to himself.

"Let's see. The stationary shop is just up ahead. Let's go there first." She said looking at her list after putting a check mark next to one of the items.

Andrew and Twilight headed over to get the stationary that she needed which just so happened to also sell furniture. [i]Whoever heard of selling quills and furniture in the same place?[/i] After that, they stopped at the food stalls for groceries. The human insisted that he carry the bags, which Twilight appreciated.

"Well, I think you bought the entire market here." Andrew chuckled lifting up all of the bags.

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Oh very funny."

"Do we need to go anywhere else?"

Twilight marked off the last couple things on her checklist with her quill. "Nope, that it is it. We're all done." She beamed with a satisfied smile, "How about I show you around and we can stop for a snack?"

"That sounds good to me. Did you have any place in mind?" Andrew asked.

"There is the Sugarcube Corner. You'll love it." Twilight said licking her lips.

"Lead the way." Andrew motioned with his arm.

Twilight showed him around town to some of her favorite spots like the stationary store what they were earlier, the Carousel Boutique where her friend Rarity owns a clothing store. There was the park where Twilight said that she loved to sometimes sit on the bench and read her books. Andrew thought that it sounded like something he would do. It was starting to get later in the afternoon. So they decided to head back to the library but not before stopping for that snack first.

Walking down a couple streets, they made it to the Sugarcube Corner. On the outside, it looked like a regular shop except if someone poured chocolate sauce over the roof. Andrew walked up to the front door and held it open for Twilight. She smiled and thanked him. The inside of the store looked any child's dream come true. There were displays filled with different kinds of cakes, cupcakes, and shelves filled with almost any candy you could think of. Behind the counter was a mare with light-blue fur. Her pink main swirled like the topping of a cupcake.

"Oh Twilight, it's nice to see you and hello to your strange looking friend there." She greeted them with a sweet voice.

"Hello Mrs. Cake. This is Andrew." Twilight said motioning a hoof in the human's direction, "He is new here and I am just showing him around Ponyville. We decided to stop here for a little snack after doing some shopping at the market. Is Pinkie here? I wanted her to meet him."

Mrs. Cake regarded Andrew with a warm smile, "She's out making a couple deliveries but I'll let her know that you stopped in. Its very nice to meet you Andrew and welcome to Ponyville. Do you know what you two would like?"

"Thank you Mrs. Cake. Everything looks so good here. I wouldn't know how to decide." Andrew chuckled, still looking at everything that the store had to offer.

Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof, trying to decide. "I think we'll have two of my usual cupcake to go, please. Oh, and one of Spike's favorite as well."

"Ah, excellent choice. Let me go wrap those up for you." Mrs. Cake said before putting them in a bag and putting it on the counter with her mouth. "Here you go. That will be ten bits, please."

"Thanks again Mrs. Cake." She said, paying for the treats. "Tell Pinkie I said hello."

"I will, Twilight. It was nice to meet you, Andrew. Come back again soon." Mrs. Cake said, waving to us with her hoof.

"Thank you Mrs. Cake. It was nice meeting you as well." Andrew smiled, grabbing the bag on the counter and adding it to the bags already in his hands.

Both of them waved back to her as they left. Re-adjusting the bags in his hands, Andrew opened the door for Twilight as they left and closed it behind him.

They didn't get very far before Andrew noticed something pink popped bouncing towards them. She had a poofy mane and tail, almost like cotton candy. Twilight seemed to recognize her cause she greeted her.

"Hello Pinkie Pie. We were just in Sugarcube Corner but you weren't there. How are you doing?"

The pink pony just stood there saying nothing. Her overly-large blue eyes just stared at the both of them. Andrew looked over at Twilight, then back to the pink pony, and then back to Twilight.

"Is she always like this?"

"Not normally. She's usually very bubbly and excited over something."

"Hello?" Andrew waved his had in front of her face hoping to get a reaction.

Suddenly, the pink pony jumped up into the air, her hind legs reaching higher than her forelegs. Her mouth hung open as she let out a long gasp before she zipped into Sugarcube Corner faster than Andrew's ever seen anything move before.

"So..umm...just what was that?" Andrew asked, looking back at the trail of dust behind them.

"That was my friend, Pinkie Pie. You'll get used to her. In fact, this reminds me of how she greeted me when I first came to Ponyville..." Twilight trailed on.

"Should I be worried?"

"Very."

[hr]

Soon they were back at the library. The red door glowed as Twilight used her magic to open it. Once inside, Twilight took off her saddle bags and they went upstairs.

"I thought that we could have some tea with our cupcakes and I can ask you some questions. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me. Thanks." Andrew replied sitting on the couch.

Twilight went to the kitchen and came back minutes later with the tea. Andrew grabbed the two cupcakes out of the bag and unwrapped one of them and handing it to her.

"So, what is one of your "usual" cupcakes?" He asked with a raised eyebrow while tearing off the wrapping from his cupcake.

"Strawberry and chocolate. These were always a favorite of mine growing up. My big brother, Shining Armor, would always get me one when i needed cheering up." She gave a smile like she was remembering fond memories.

"I bet it was nice to have a big brother to look after you." Andrew remarked taking a bite of the cupcake, "Oh wow. This is really good! I can see why you like them so much."

"I'm glad you like it." Twilight nodded, hovering the cup of tea over to him and sitting down, "You said before that you were called a human, right? I checked my Guide to Equestrian Creatures book and the only thing that I found remotely close to your appearance was a mammalian or hairless ape."

"That's correct, my species is called human or homo-sapiens sapiens if you want to get scientific about it."

"Do you all humans look like you? Are there different kinds? She inquired, writing down notes in a notebook.

"No, we all look different, unless you count identical twins. But other than that, there aren't different kinds of humans. We're built the same way except for physical appearances like skin and hair color, tall, short, eye color, ect.. Then you get into the different genders, male and female like I'm sure you have here."

For the next couple hours or so, Twilight asked Andrew questions about where he came from. She was like a never-ending trove of questions. Every question that he answered led her to ask even more. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at her eagerness to learn new things. Andrew couldn't really blame her though. She had the first human ever in Equestria in her house and she was going to learn everything that she could about him.

Twilight took the time to answer some of Andrew's questions as well about Equestria's history, the different types of ponies (pagusi, earth ponies, and unicorns). She also answered his question about what the mark a pony's flank is.

"So you're saying that you get your cutie marks when you discover your special talents?" Andrew asked.

Twilight nodded. "That's right. Normally a filly or colt will discover what they're really good at when they're very young. Once that happens, their cutie mark appears. On the rare occasion, a pony may not discover their special talent until much later than that. It's rare but it's been known to happen. "

"Wow. It's like one new incredible discovery after another around here." A part of Andrew wished that he could stay here and learn more but he needed to get home.

Twilight chuckled. "Believe me, there is a lot more to learn. I've been studying history and magic most of my life and there's still a lot that I don't know. That's why I keep studying every day."

"That's very admirable." Andrew nodded.

"More tea?" Twilight asked, finally taking a break.

"Yes please." Andrew smiled holding out his cup.

Using her magic, Twilight lifted the pot and refilled his cup. "This is really good tea."

"Thanks. I get it from my friend Zecora. Maybe you'll get to meet her."

Andrew put down his cup and noticed that Twilight was glancing over at him. "If there's something you want to ask, go right ahead. I don't mind," he said, trying to reassure her. Andrew took another bit of his cupcake.

"Andrew, I've been wanting to ask you something. What those things are at the end of your hooves?" She asked pointing a hoof towards his hand.

"You mean these?" Andrew held up a hand and moved his fingers around. "This is called a hand and these are fingers. They are very handy when trying to grab hold of things."

"Very interesting. Could I have a closer look, please?" she asked

"Sure." Andrew replied holding out his hand.

Twilight held his hand in her hooves, studying closely. Turning it over and back, she writes down more notes and also drawing a picture of a hand. He'd never seen anyone so interested in a hand before unless they were a fortune teller. Andrew couldn't help but notice how her hooves felt touching his hand. They were warm and very soft.

"You don't know how exciting this is for me." Twilight squealed excitedly. "It'll take me forever to organize my notes for my report. You don't mind if I ask you more questions later, maybe even get some more sketches of you?"

"Well, I suppose that..."

[hr]

Suddenly, they both heard the sound of the front door open and closing, followed by the sound of feet coming up the stairs.

"Twilight, I'm home!" The voice said, "Rarity wanted me to tell you that..." its train of thought was stopped as it looked right at the human.

What Andrew saw was about three feet tall with emerald green eyes. Its body was mostly purple except for a green strip along its belly. A line of four large spines on its head trailing to shorter ones going down to the tail.

"I don't what the hay you are but you better get away from Twilight!" Spike shouted.

Spike sucked in a huge lungful of air and opened his mouth to let out a stream of glowing green flames. Andrew didn't think this little thing could do much damage but he was wrong as he felt the heat from the flames through his jacket. Shielding his face with his arms, Andrew turned and tried to get out of the way.

"Spike! Please stop it!" Twilight pleaded with him.

"Are you serious? It could be dangerous." The dragon shot back pointing at the human, standing between them.

"Yes I am, Spike! He's not dangerous and he's staying here with us."

"W-What?" Spike responded back in a confused tone.

Andrew took off his jacket and stomped on it to put out the parts that were still smoking. He was relieved that it didn't look too bad with only a few scorch marks on it. Checking the rest of his clothes, he was relieved that they were undamaged. He looked at Spike with anger in his eyes. Spike's brave face quickly turned to embarrassment, and a little fright.

"Are you crazy? You could have killed me." Andrew fought the instinct to grab the dragon by the neck and throttle him. Even if the dragon just tried to kill him, he was friends with Twilight. So, he didn't think that would be a good idea.

"Andrew, are you alright?" Twilight rushed past Spike, to check on the human, "Spike, look what you've done!"

"How was I supposed to know? I thought he was a monster trying to hurt you." Spike responded with a confused look on his face.

"He's not a monster, Spike. His name is Andrew and he's a human from far away. You could have seriously hurt him."

"I wasn't going to hurt him that badly, just until he left." Spike retorted which he soon regretted.

She gave him a look letting him know that she wasn't very happy with him. Spike looked at the ground in embarrassment.

"Your jacket is a mess." Twilight looked at Andrew with concern.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. The rest of my clothes are fine, no thanks to him!" Andrew said while brushing himself off, staring at the dragon.

"Look, I know what Spike did was wrong but he didn't really mean to hurt you." Twilight said, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"So, this is the dragon you mentioned this morning?" Andrew asked, pointing at Spike.

Twilight nodded her head. "That's right. Spike, this is Andrew. He's going to be staying with us until I can find a way to send him back to his home."

"I'm really sorry about that." Spike said, tapping the tips of this claws together, his face looking down but his eyes looking up at the human. They were filled with remorse but Andrew wasn't ready to forgive just yet.

"Whatever. Just don't do that again." He shot Spike a glare before walking away.

"Andrew, I know you're mad at Spike, but he said that he was sorry for what he did. Can't you forgive him?"

"I don't know Twilight. Not right now. Maybe later." Even though Spike said that he was sorry, some part of Andrew just couldn't forgive him. He didn't believe in forgiving someone that just tried to kill you.

"Fine but I hope you'll change your mind. You'll see that Spike can be a great friend if you just give him a chance."

Looking between Andrew and Twilight for a little bit, Spike finally spoke up. "How about I got to the kitchen and heat up some of that vegetable soup from the other day. Does that sound alright?"

"Sounds good, thanks Spike." Twilight replied back. Spike left for the kitchen, leaving Twilight and Andrew alone.

There was a period of silence in the room until Twilight broke it, "Andrew, I..."

He held up his hand to stop her, "Twilight, I'd rather not talk about it right now if that's alright with you. If you're worried about me doing something to Spike, I can promise you that I'm not going to touch a single scale on him." At this point, Andrew just wanted this night to be over with but he was hungry. "Let's just eat."

Twilight nodded and they made their way to the kitchen. Spike heard door open as they came in. "Oh good, you two are just in time. The soup is ready." He hopped off of the stool and carried the pot of soup over to the table and proceeded to fill the bowls with the delicious smelling liquid.

Andrew sat down on one of the chairs and Twilight sat down next to him while Spike sat across from them. Talking the spoon, Andrew scooped up some soup and blew the steam from it and put it in his mouth. Despite his current sour mood, he couldn't deny how good the food was.

"Mmmm!" Andrew voiced with approval of the soup. "This tastes so good!" He continued, consuming another spoonful of vegetables. He had to admit, this was really good. "Did you make this Spike?"

"I sure did!" He replied putting his claws on his hips and puffing out his chest.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smirk, "Try not to inflate his ego too much."

The rest of the meal passed by without much being said. Spike did ask me if Andrew would tell him about his world sometime. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and told him that they would see. Not wanting to press his luck, Spike left the topic at that.

"Well, I'm beat. I'm heading to bed." Spike said, letting out a yawn and stretching his arms. He put his dishes in the sink before leaving the kitchen. "Good night you two."

"Good night, Spike." Twilight said to her dragon friend.

"Hey, don't worry about the dishes, I'll clean this up." Andrew offered, taking the dishes over to the sink.

"Are you sure?" Twilight craned her head to look up at him, "Well, umm, thank you." She seemed slightly surprised at his offer.

"Twilight, its the least that I can do," Andrew said sincerely. "I wouldn't be much of a tree...house guest if I didn't do something to help out around here. Plus, washing dishes usually helped reduces stress and improves my mood."

Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof. "I would never have considered that since Spike is the one that usually does the dishes. When I do them, its with my magic. Well, I hope it works and you can work things out with Spike." Twilight turned to leave. "Thanks again." She nodded before leaving the kitchen.

"Hmmm, we'll see. I won't make any promises." Andrew watched her leave and turned his attention to cleaning the dishes. Putting some soap on the sponge, he scrubbed away the remnants of tonight's dinner. The warm water was starting to feel good on his hands and was having an affect on him. Either it was making him smile or making him have to pee. Andrew hoped that it wasn't the latter.

[hr]

After Andrew was done with the dishes, he turned off all the lights in the kitchen before leaving. On the way up to the loft, he went to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. Stopping to check inside, he was relieved to find that it looked like a regular bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet. On the counter, he saw one purple and one green toothbrush. He didn't have to guess which toothbrush belonged to who. Inside the cupboard, Andrew found a new blue toothbrush and proceeded brushed his teeth. Once he was done, he came upstairs to the loft to find that Spike was already fast asleep in his basket. Twilight was on her bed reading a book. She stopped reading and lifted up her head when she heard Andrew coming up the stairs.

"I asked Spike to get the spare bed out of storage and set it up for you. If it's too small, just let me know." Twilight said motioning to the bed with a hoof. The bed was about the same size as hers but with a green blanket. It wasn't his first choice of blanket colors but beggars can't be choosers.

He sat down on the bed. "No, this will be just fine. Thank you, Twilight. Are you sure you wouldn't want me sleeping somewhere else? I don't want to invade your privacy or anything."

"I appreciate the concern but you're fine."

Andrew shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if you're sure, then I won't argue."

"Good." Twilight nodded her head with a smile and went back to her book.

Andrew unbuttoned his long sleeve shirt and placed it on the floor. He then removed his shoes and socks and placing them next to the bed. Looking over at Twilight to make sure she was still reading her book, Andrew undressed down to his boxers and placed the pants with his other clothes. Pulling back the covers, he slid under the them. Even though she was a pony who didn't wear clothes, it still felt a little awkward undressing in front of her.

"Good night. You don't mind if I do some reading before I fall asleep, do you?" Twilight asked.

"No. Go right ahead." Andrew replied chuckling. "What are you reading by the way?"

"Oh! It's called Modern Spell Casting. I wanted to rule out some spells that may have brought you here." She replied.

"Not a bad idea." Andrew rubbed his chin with his hand. "Hopefully you have some luck."

"Thanks. It shouldn't take me too long. Not many spells could have done it."

"Twilight?"

"Yes?" She replied back looking up at the human from her book.

"I never got a chance to say thank you for everything, the lunch and dinner as well. Not to mention letting me stay here." Andrew said.

"You are very welcome. I wouldn't be much of a pony if I had done otherwise."She replied back with a smile. "Something tells me that if I had come to your world instead, you would have done the same for me."

"You're right, I probably would have." Andrew replied. "Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Andrew."

Andrew pulled back the covers and turned off the lamp. The soft glow of the moon hit the beds. Andrew looked out the window at the stars and sighed.


	4. Chapter 4 - Clothes and Forgiveness

**Chapter 3: Clothes and Forgiveness**

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the library and shined onto Andrew's face. Annoyed, he groaned and pulled the covers over his head to hide himself from the inevitability of having to get up. The softness of the covers and pillow would have lulled him back into further sleep but another one of his senses was stimulated. Taking in a few sniffs with his nose, it smelled something rich and butter...breakfast! As soon as that realization hit his brain, his stomach got the message and let out a rumble. Andrew guessed that was his cue to get up.

Grumbling, Andrew pushed the covers off of his face and then the rest of his body. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he reached over to the nightstand for his glasses and put them on. Sitting up, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and planted his feet on the cold wooden floor. Andrew then stood up and did a couple stretches to loosen his stiff arm and leg muscles. Looking over at Twilight's bed, he noticed that it had been been made. After making his bed as well, Andrew slid on his pants, followed by his shoes and socks. Before heading downstairs, he grabbed his jacket and put it on as well.

Descending the stairs, the lavender pony came into view. She was sitting on the couch reading. There was a tall stack of books on the floor in front of her.

"Morning." Andrew groaned, putting a hand to his mouth as he let out a yawn. "Please tell me that Equestria has coffee."

"Oh good, you're awake. Spike will be finished making breakfast soon" Twilight said, looking up from her book with a smile. "I've been up for the past hour or so doing some research."

"Any luck yet?" Andrew asked, hoping for some good news.

Twilight's smile slowly faded, "Unfortunately I haven't found anything yet but don't worry, I'm not giving up." She said with a look of determination on her face.

"Thank you, Twilight." Andrew said, with a slight dejection in his voice but he tried to keep his hopes up. He didn't expect expect her to find the answer overnight though he was hoping to get back before anyone noticed that he was gone. His boss isn't going to be happy that he missed work today.

"Did you sleep well last night? I hope the spare bed was alright." Twilight asked with a little concern in her voice, putting the book down and getting off the couch.

Andrew walked next to her as they made their way to the kitchen. "Yes I did, thank you. Although the bed is a little short for a human but it was comfortable."

"I'm glad." Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Oh and yes, we do have coffee. I could use a cup myself." She said with a chuckle.

Andrew opened the kitchen door and followed Twilight inside. In the kitchen, Spike was standing on a wooden stool in front of the stove. His claws were holding a pan and spatula as he flipped pancakes. He was wearing a pink apron and a chef's hat. Now Andrew has seen everything. "Morning, Spike." He called out to Spike as he walked in.

Spike turned his head briefly before returning his cooking. "Morning, Andrew! You two are just in time. Breakfast will be ready in just a bit. There is coffee on the counter if you want any."

"Thanks Spike." Twilight said before padding over to the counter for the coffee maker. She filled a purple and a blue mug with coffee and lifted them over to the table with her magic as Andrew sat down at the table. He smiled and thanked her. Bringing the mug to his face, he blew away the steam from the hot liquid before and took a sip. Slowly the coffee started to help both of them feel more awake.

"Wow. This coffee is really good." Andrew said, taking another sip.

"I'm glad you like it. I get a supply of it from a local pony." Twilight remarked.

Before they knew it, Spike hopped off the stool carrying a serving tray containing a bottle of syrup, a bowl of berries, and a very tall stack of pancakes. After placing everything on the table, Spike took off his apron, placing it on the counter, and sat down at the table. "Everypony, dig in!"

"Thanks Spike. Everything smells great. You've outdone yourself again." Twilight remarked.

Andrew placed a small stack on his plate and poured on a generous amount of syrup on it, savoring the smell. Cutting off a section with his fork, he put it in his mouth. The flavor was rich and buttery with just a hint of cinnamon. It was the best he's ever had!

"Remind me to never doubt the cooking skills of a dragon." Andrew said between eating more pancakes and sipping his coffee.

"Awww. You guys are too much." Spike said bashfully before finishing his stack of pancakes. "I'm going to go read a comic."

Stabbing the last bit of the pancakes with his fork, Andrew rubbed it in the syrup on his plate and put it in his mouth. After washing it down with the last of the coffee from his mug, he was full.

"I don't think I have room for anything else." Andrew said contently, sipping the last of his coffee and patting his stomach. "More coffee, Twilight?"

"Yes, thank you." She responded with a smile.

Andrew retrieved the coffee pot from the counter and poured more coffee into both of their mugs. "So, what do you have planned for today, Twilight?" Andrew asked, holding his refilled cup in his hands.

"Well, I had been doing some thinking after what happened last night with Spike. We don't know how long you will be here for, and from observing you, I assume that your kind needs to wear clothing, correct?"

"That's correct. It's not only to keep us warm but primarily to protect our modesty. Where I'm from, it's against the law to go into public without any clothes on. You ponies have fur and tails which means wearing clothing is option for you. We don't." Andrew rubbed the back of his neck hoping that Twilight would understand where he was going with this. He really didn't want to go into any further details than that.

"Yes, well that explains a lot. Thank you." Twilight's face reddened a little bit. "That's why I think that it would be a good idea to visit my friend Rarity at the Carousel Boutique. I'm sure she would be more than thrilled to make you some new clothes."

Andrew thought about it for a moment before replying, "I guess you're right. I can't wear the same clothes forever. Some new ones would be nice. Washing the same ones every day doesn't make much sense. Speaking of which.." Andrew looked at his clothes and gave his shirt a sniff. "yeah, that needs a wash soon."

Twilight chuckled, "Don't worry, we can wash those for you later."

"Thank you. I'll grab a shower and we can head out." Andrew said as he stood up from his chair.

* * *

After a hot shower, Andrew headed upstairs to finish getting dressed. When he came up the loft, he noticed that Spike was sitting on Twilight's bed with his legs dangling over the edge. He was looking down at his feet like he was contemplating something important.

"Spike, if this is about last night, I don't really want to talk about it, alright?" Andrew paused before putting on his shoes and looked over at the dragon. Spike still didn't say anything. Andrew was starting to get a little annoyed until he finally spoke up.

Spike let out a long sigh. "Andrew, I'm really sorry about last night. I feel bad about attacking you. Please don't hate me.

Andrew let out a sigh. Look Spike, I don't hate you but I am still mad about what happened."

Spike kept looking at the floor silently.

"Spike, you almost set me on fire. That hurt a lot. Not to mention you scared Twilight when you did that." Andrew took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "You didn't even give either of us a chance to explain what was going on. Instead you jumped right in and attacked me."

"I know. That's why I came up here before you left so that I could apologize again.

"Well, Twilight and I are about to head out. I'll tell you what. We'll talk about it when she and I get back, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks." Spike got off the bed and headed towards the stairs. He felt absolutely terrible for what he had done. He did it to protect someone that he cared about, not to be mean about it. The look on his face when he apologized told Andrew that. He wondered if he could stay mad at him forever? Is that what he want to do here, keep grudges like he used to back home? Perhaps that should change.

"Spike?" Andrew said before Spike got to the stairs.

"Yeah?" Spike turned his head to look back at the human.

"Thanks for apologizing. It means a lot." Andrew gave him a small smile.

"No problem. See ya later." Spike said before walking down the stairs.

* * *

Andrew and Twilight stopped just outside of Rarity's shop, getting a closer look at it before they went inside. It looked like a very fancy establishment, tall with decorative pillars, and pony sculptures towards the top making resemble a carousel. The front door was purple with two diamond-shaped windows on it. He couldn t help shaking his head. These ponies and their puns. Ponyville. Golden Oak Library. What's next, Marehatten? No, he didn't want to jinx himself.

Figuring that he had stood outside long enough, Andrew walked up to the purple door and tried to open it but the door was locked. "Do you think she's home?"

"She should be. I hope that she didn't stay up all night working and we're waking her up." Twilight looked a concerned but had an idea. "Try giving the door a few knocks."

Andrew gave the door a few knocks and then heard the door unlock followed by a cheery voice from the other side say, "Come in!."

"She must be open now, Andrew muttered to myself, shrugging his shoulders. Twilight opened the door and heard the familiar bell chime. Andrew followed her inside. Inside, he was surprised by all the different shades of purple everywhere. This Rarity must really love this color he thought. To one side, there is what looked like beauty stations like at a salon, along with racks of clothes.

An alabaster unicorn with a stylish purple mane came out from behind a curtain and trotted towards Andrew. Her mane had a bounce to it with every step she took. On her pure white fur, the only distinguishing feature on her was three diamonds as a cutie mark on her flank. Her eyes were closed as she gave what Andrew assumed was a long practiced speech she used to greet customers.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique. Now what can I..." She stopped when her eyes opened and saw her friend at the door.

"Hello, Twilight!" She said, greeting her friend. "This is a surprise, darling. What are you doing here? And who is your strange looking individual you have with you?"

"Ummm. Hello." The human said, giving her a little wave, hoping she wouldn't freak out at his appearance.

Rarity stood there looking at Andrew like he was the strangest thing she had ever seen. Her eyes looked at him from head to toe, trying to discern what he was. Andrew didn't know if she was going to pass out or scream for help. To her credit, she didn't do either one of them.

Rarity slowly turned her head to face Twilight again and repeated her question, "Twilight darling, who is this?"

Twilight gave her friend a warm smile, "Rarity, this is Andrew. He is going to be staying with me at the library until a way can be found to send him home."

Rarity took a deep breath and looked back at the human. "I do apologize for my reaction earlier, your appearance just took me off guard. I hope I didn't offend you."

None taken, Rarity. I'm sure I look pretty strange compared to what you're used to. Andrew gestured with a wave of his hand.

"Although, I can see why you would want some new clothes. They look to be in a dreadful state." Rarity remarked, regarding the condition of his clothes.

"That's why we came by, Rarity. I hoped that you could make him some new clothes. As I mentioned before, I don't know how long he'll be here and this is all that he has to wear." Twilight gestured towards Andrew with her hoof.

"That won't be a problem at all darling. The opportunity to dabble in a different fashions would be my pleasure." She nodded her head with a smile.

"Thanks a lot Rarity, I knew I could count on you." Twilight said to her friend. "I have to meet with the Mayor and help her organize her scheduling. Andrew, I don't know how long I will be but I'll meet you back at the library."

Andrew could sense some enthusiasm in her voice as if she was looking forward to doing some organizing. He nodded his head as she opened the front door with her magic and walked outside. "Alright. I'll see you there."

"Alright, step right this way dear and I'll take your measurements." Rarity said to Andrew as she motioned him towards a large circular platform surrounded by a few mirrors. She regarded him over her red-rimmed glasses. "Now, please remove your shirt and pants and step onto the platform. Hold out your arms and stand still, darling."

Andrew did as she asked and removed his clothing until he was down to his t-shirt and boxers. Rarity's horn glowed blue as the tape measure around her neck glowed the same color and lifting up from around her neck. It seemed to move on its own as it took his various measurements along his waist, shoulders, and legs. She had a pad of paper and pencil that she used to write down notes as the tape measure moved around his body. After a while, she hung the tape measure around her neck.

"Well, I believe I have everything that I need. You can step down from the platform now and get dressed." Rarity said, nodding as she went over what she had written on the notepad. The tape measure rolled up and was placed on the same table it was on before.

"Now, is this what you normally wear?" She asked, regarding his clothes.

"More or less. Just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Oh and my jacket as well." Andrew replied, pulling his pants back up and putting his long-sleeved shirt back on.

"I see...are you sure you wouldn't like something like a suit? I am sure you would look quite fetching in one."

"That's quite alright, thank you. I'm more of a casual person anyway. Maybe some other time." Andrew replied, as he put his socks and shoes back on.

"Very well." Rarity said after letting out a disappointing sigh. "These shouldn't take me that long to do. I will let you know when I'm done and you can see the masterpieces I have created. I always like to get customer's input on the finished product. Although, the last time I let me friends give me too much input, the dresses I made them didn't turn out so well." She admitted sheepishly.

"I assume there's a long story behind that." Andrew chuckled.

"Yes indeed but that is for another time perhaps. Anyway, you are going to absolutely love what I'm going to come up with, darling! Now, if you will excuse me, I must start immediately!" She exclaimed as she trotted upstairs to her inspiration room.

About an hour or so later of sheer boredom, the fashionista pushed the door open and walked down the steps with a couple shirts, a pair of jeans, undergarments, as well as Andrew's jacket in a blue aura. Her mane was a little frazzled and the tape measure hung around her neck like a wet noodle.

"They are all finished, darling. I do hope you like them. The shirts I made you were based off the colors from the one you are currently wearing plus I added some colors I thought you would like to add some Equestrian stylistic flare."

Looking through the clothes, Andrew was amazed at the quality of the design and of the fabric used. They were very soft to the touch. The shirts had symbols that looked like from Earth but must also have some meaning here. Before he could ponder it further, Rarity cleared her throat to get his attention. "Well, what do you think? Aren't they all amazing?" She asked with a sense of nervousness behind it. He didn't respond at first but she blinked her eyes as if to get his attention again.

"These are all amazing, Rarity. I love them, thank you. You even repaired my jacket. It looks and feels brand new." Andrew remarked, unfolding the jacket and putting it on.

"I'm relieved to hear that you are satisfied. Making these wasn't easy but I'm relieved that you are a satisfied customer."

"I do have one question though. How am I supposed to pay you? I don't really have any money." Andrew sighed and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. "I'm pretty sure you don't take dollars, do you?

"Oh, no no no." Rarity said, shaking her head. "I consider this as a favor for a friend. It was my pleasure to make these for you. So, don't trouble yourself."

"You are far too generous, Rarity. Thank you." Andrew smiled, nodding his head.

"Now, let me get those for you." She said as a blue aura surrounded the clothes and lifted them into a bag. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Now, if you will excuse me, I really must get started on this project for a customer." She said, her voice sounded a little stressed out.

"Good luck with your project and thanks again, Rarity." Andrew waved goodbye.

"You are quite welcome dear. Come back anytime and I'll make you something else." She smiled.

Andrew went to open the door but it opened before he could reach it. A small white unicorn ran inside right into the path of his legs. He lost his balance and ended up falling over, his head hitting the floor.

"Ow! Rarity, what do you have the door blocked for?" The little filly yelled, rubbing her forehead with her hoof.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle...Andrew. Are the two of you alright?" Rarity asked, trotting over to her sister, looking between the two of them.

Shaking his head, Andrew slowly stood back up. "Yeah, I'm alright. Nothing broken but my pride." He chuckled, holding the back of his head. It was still throbbing a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sweetie Bell replied, standing on her four hooves, shaking her head to loosen the cobwebs. "What is..." She stopped suddenly as she finally moved her eyes towards the human. The green pupils of the white unicorn moved up and down as if she was trying to figure out what it was. Her head slowly turned to the side without breaking her puzzled gaze at the human. She slowly backed away behind her sister's legs.

"Sweetie Belle, this is Andrew. He's a...friend of mine." Rarity said in a calming voice. "Andrew, this is my younger sister."

"Sweetie Belle, was it? That's a pretty name."

"Umm...Hello." She said, "Why are you so tall?"

"Why are you so cute?" Andrew shot back with a grin.

Sweetie Belle giggled, "I like you. You're funny." She then saw one of Rarity's boutique bags knocked over with the clothes fallen out. "Did my sister make you those?"

"That's right. She was nice enough to make me some clothes. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to pack any when I left home." Andrew replied jokingly. If only she knew the truth.

"Isn't she the best dressmaker ever?" She exclaimed with pride of her big sister.

"Yes, thank you Sweetie. Now, what are you doing home so early, shouldn't you still be in school?"

"Oh, Miss Cheerilee wasn't feeling well. So, she told us go home."

"What a shame. Hopefully the poor dear feels better." Rarity said before turning towards the back of the shop. "Now that you're here, I suppose you'll want some lunch?" Rarity let out a sigh, looking dejected.

"Yay! I'm starving." Sweetie Belle exclaimed jumping up and down. "Ummm..can Andrew join us?" Sweetie Belle asked giving her sister a big smile.

"Well, I suppose that would be alright." looking over at him. "Would you like some lunch?"

"I'd hate to intrude but that does sounds good. I am getting hungry." Andrew responded, holding his stomach.

"Good. I'll make us some grilled cheese and tomato soup." She said leading the way to the kitchen alongside her sister.

Andrew followed the two of them into the kitchen. Rarity went to the fridge and got out a container of tomato soup and put it into a pot on the stove. While that was heating up, she went about preparing the the sandwiches. At the same time, Sweetie Belle was setting the table. Not wanting to feel useless, Andrew offered to help. "Is there anything that I can do?"

Rarity turned her head from her cooking to look at the human. "No dear. I have this part well in hoof. The food will be ready shortly, unless you want to lend a hoof to Sweetie."

"Yeah, Andrew. You can help me finish setting the table!" She jumped up and down cheerfully.

Andrew chuckled and helped her carry the rest of the plates and bowls over to the table. Not long after the table was set, Rarity was ready with the food. They all sat down and enjoyed lunch.

"That was delicious Rarity, Thank you." Andrew took the last bit of the sandwich and scraped it inside the bowl before putting it in his mouth.

"Think nothing of it." Rarity waved her hoof. "It's just something simple I have on hoof for when Sweetie Belle stays over." Rarity stood up and levitated the dishes over to the sink with her magic. "Now I can get back to working on the dresses for that customer."

"Can I help you with the dress, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked with hopeful eyes.

"Not this time, Sweetie. Don't you want to go play with your friends?"

Sweetie Belle let out a sigh, looking glum at the table, "Scootaloo is hanging out with Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom is helping her brother and sister in the orchard today."

"Then this will be a perfect time then to clean up that disaster of a room of yours then. Don't you think?."

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, "It's not that bad. It just hasn't been cleaned since my friends were over here last week. Besides, its not as bad as your room?"

"What?" Rarity let a very overly dramatic gasp. "My inspiration room is not messy, it's organized chaos!"

"Fine. See ya later, Andrew." Sweetie Belle sighed before trotted up the stairs to her room.

"Bye Sweetie Belle. It was nice meeting you." Andrew said with a wave goodbye. "Do you want me to help you with those dishes?"

"Thank you darling but you don't have to."

"After that delicious lunch, I insist." Andrew grabbed a towel.

"Very well then."

Rarity washed the dishes while Andrew dried. There was another reason why he didn't want to leave. Leaving meant that he would eventually have to go back to the library and deal with Spike and that wasn't something that he was ready to do yet.

"Now, do you want to tell me the real reason why you wanted to help out with the dishes?"

"I don't know what do you mean?"

"I might be a pony darling, but I can tell when a human like yourself is trying to avoid something."

"I couldn't fool you, could I?" Andrew let out a light chuckle. "It has to do with with Spike and what happened last night."

"You're still mad at him, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am. Not as much as before. He came to me this morning and apologized again."

"Forgiveness isn't easy. Sometimes Sweetie Belle does things that drive me crazy but I forgive her in the end because we're sisters and that's what we do."

"I hate to break it to you, but Spike and I aren't brothers."

"Yes I know." She said rolling her eyes, "but did you consider what Spike must have felt at the time?"

"Well...not really." Andrew shrugged his shoulders.

"My poor Spikey Wikey must have been scared out of his mind, finding a big creature like yourself in his home. Not to mention with Twilight."

"I hadn't thought of that like that." Andrew mentally berated himself. _'Way to go idiot, thinking only about yourself. If I had been in Spike's shoes..umm paws, would I have done the same thing?'_

"The way I look at it, everypony makes mistakes. Just don't let one mistake ruin a beautiful thing."

"So you think I should forgive him then?

"Darling, I can't tell you what to do but I believe that you should give Spike another chance."

"You're probably right, Rarity. Thanks."

"Oh, don't mention it. Now that all the dishes are done, I should really get back to work. These dresses won't make themselves you know."

"Right, thanks again for lunch, the clothes, and the chat. It was very generous of you."

"That's who I am." She said with a flick of her mane.

Andrew grabbed his bag and walked out the door, make sure to close it behind him.

* * *

Andrew decided to walk around town some more before heading back to the library. Suddenly something collided into the side of him, causing him to lose his balance and land on the ground.

"Mister! I am so sorry about that!" The voice said frantically as Andrew felt a pair of hooves trying to help him to his feet.

With the pony's help, Andrew slowly pulled himself up off of the ground.

"It's alright. No harm done," Andrew said dusting himself off and looked at his "attacker". She was a pegasus pony with grey fur and a mane of blonde hair. He also noticed that her eyes were looking in different directions, not focused on anything. The envelopes and packages that she had been carrying were scattered all over the ground. Andrew held out his hand to her. "I'm Andrew by the way."

"I'm Derpy Hooves. Ponyville's resident mail-pony!" Derpy proclaimed with a solute. She shook Andrew's hand before rushing to pick up the spilled mail.

"Nice to meet you Derpy. Here, let me help you with those." Andrew smiled as he knelt down to retrieve the scattered mail and help put it back into her bags.

"Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Sometimes I crash into things cause I can't see very well."

"You're welcome. I can't see very well without these glasses. Without them, I can't see very far away." Andrew smirked, tapping the side of his frames. "Would you like some help some help with those? It can't be easy to deliver all of those by yourself?" Andrew offered with a kind smile.

"That's nice of you to offer but you don't have to do that." Derpy shook her head.

"Its no problem at all. I was going to walk around town anyway. Besides, the company would be nice."

A little while later Andrew and Derpy finally finished making all of her mail deliveries.

"Well, that's the lasts of the mail." Andrew said.

"Thanks again, Andrew. There was a lot more mail today than usual for some reason. I would have been out here forever delivering everything all by myself." Derpy reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a pouch. She opened it and dumped some coins onto Andrew's hand. "Here, take these for helping me."

"What are these?" Andrew poked at the coins with his fingers. One side was engraved with the head of a pony with a crown. Their ruler maybe? The other side had a number on it most likely indicating its value.

"Those are called bits. Don't you have these where you're from?" Derpy tilted her head to the side.

"Not quite. We call our currency something else." Andrew looked at the bits in his hand and wondered what he was going to buy with his first bits. Something for himself..or for someone else? The more he thought about it, a single image came into head head. He knew what he was going to spend his bits on. "Well, it was nice meeting you Derpy. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You as well. Thanks again!" Derpy said flying away.

* * *

After helping Derpy with the mail, Andrew passed by the Sugarcube Corner. He opened the door and saw Mrs. Cake behind the display.

"Hello, Andrew. Back so soon dearie? You must have liked the cupcakes then." Mrs. Cake let out a giggle.

"Hello Mrs. Cake. They were delicious, thank you."

"You're quite welcome. Now, what can I get you today?"

"I'm actually looking for a dessert for Spike. Do you have any suggestions?" Andrew asked peering into the display case, trying not to drool on the window.

"I believe I have what you're looking for. Just a moment." She disappeared into the back of the store. Moments later she returned with a cupcake with blue frosting and what looked like blue gems in it. "This is a recipe that we tried out for his last birthday. I heard he just loved it." Mrs. Cake said before putting the cupcake in a bag and placing it on the counter with her mouth. "Here you go. That will be eight bits, please."

Pulling out the bits he had in his pocket, Andrew realized that he was spending all his money but he knew it was worth it. He grabbed the box after placing the money on the counter. "Thank you Mrs. Cake."

"Come back again soon." Mrs. Cake said, waving with her hoof.

"Thanks again." Andrew said with a smile, opening the door and closed it behind him. Now back the library.

* * *

Arriving back at the library, Andrew opened the door and closed it behind him.

"Oh, there you are. Where in Equestria have you been? I was getting worried that something had happened to you." Twilight scolded him, looking up from her stack of books that she had been reading.

"I'm sorry about that, Twilight. I completely lost complete track of time. I was at Rarity's and then there was this gray pony." Andrew confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where's Spike?" He looked around the room.

"He's upstairs probably reading one of his comic books. Why?" Twilight asked looking at Andrew puzzled.

"No reason. I got him a little something." Andrew replied, lifting up the bag in his hand. "I'll be right back."

"Alright. Can you have him come down and make some dinner?"

"Sure thing."

Andrew went upstairs to the loft to find Spike lying in his basket engrossed in a comic book.

"Go Power Ponies! Stop Mane-iac or Maretropolis is doomed! Pew! Pow!"

Andrew couldn't help but let out a light chuckle at Spike's childish antics. He may be a kid but he has a big heart, the human thought to himself. Spike suddenly looked up from his book and was shocked to see Andrew standing there.

"Oh hey, Andrew. I didn't even hear you come up."

"It's alright. Enjoying the comic book?" Andrew smirked.

"You bet. The Power Ponies are awesome!" He exclaimed before noticing something in Andrew's hand. "What do you have there?"

"It's my way of saying that I forgive you and thanks for this morning with Rarity." Andrew said, handing him the bag. "Think of it as a peace offering."

Andrew swore that Spike's eyes got even bigger when opened the bag and saw what was inside. "A sapphire cupcake! Awesome!" Spike smiled, licking his lips at the tasty treat.

"You're welcome, Spike. I hope you enjoy.." *CHOMP* "...it." Before Andrew could finish, Spike had shoved the entire cupcake in his mouth. His cheeks bulged out as he chewed and swallowed it.

"Yum. That sure was tasty. Thanks dude!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Andrew rubbed the spines on Spike's head before kneeling down to his eye level. "Spike, I've spent some time today thinking and I now understand that you were just trying to protect Twilight. You were scared and acted out of instinct. She s lucky to have a little brother like you to look out for her.

You really think so? Spike smiled and looked at Andrew with big emerald eyes.

"Of course. Who else can say that they have a little brother that can cook and breathe fire?" Andrew grinned, giving Spike a little jab in the arm with an elbow.

"Thanks dude." Spike then looked at the human. "Hey, I know we just met yesterday and all but do you want to be friends?"

Andrew looked at Spike for a few moments thinking to himself. ' _My first friend in Equestria. Is it really that easy to make friends here? Just last night, he tried to barbecue me and now he wants to be friends. What if Twilight can't send me home? I'm going to need some friends here. There's no way can I survive here for very long all by myself. There's something about Spike that tells me that I can trust him even though I haven't known him for very long._ '

He suddenly felt a warmth spread through his body. Something he had not felt in a long time.

"Sure, kid." Before Andrew knew it, Spike grabbed him in a hug. Chucking to himself, Andrew reciprocated the hug.

A few moments later, Andrew released Spike and stood up. "Oh, before I forget, Twilight wanted you to come down and make some dinner."

"Alright. Tell her I'll be down. I'm just getting to the good part of this comic." Spike giggled before opening the comic and going back to reading.

Andrew shook his head and made his way downstairs where Twilight was still reading. She looked up when she heard him come down the stairs.

"I couldn't help overhear what you two said up there. Thank you for forgiving Spike, I appreciate it." Twilight said with a big smile, like a parent proud of their child.

"Your friend Rarity helped me see things from Spike's point of view and that staying mad at him wasn't going to help anyone. Plus, having him as my friend won't be so bad I think."

"I'm glad you realize that." Twilight smiled with a nod.

"There is an old saying, 'It takes a strong person to say sorry, and even stronger one to forgive.'

Twilight looked at Andrew for a moment before speaking. "That's very well said."

"Thanks. I don't know what made me think of it. It just popped in my head." Andrew admitted.

"That was very sweet of you to get Spike that cupcake. You didn't have to do that for him. How did you know the sapphire ones is his favorite and where did you get the bits to pay it? I don't remember giving you any money." Twilight had a puzzled look on her face.

"Simple, I asked Mrs. Cake. As for how I paid for it, I had an encounter with a strange mail lady...pony. I felt bad for her after our collision so I decided to help her deliver with the rest of the mail."

"You helped Derpy? That was nice of you. I'm sure she appreciated the help."

"She did. I don't know how she delivered all that mail by herself.

A few moments later, Spike finally came downstairs to make dinner. The pony and human followed Spike to the kitchen where he warmed up some vegetarian lasagna. Andrew had never had any vegetarian food before but he thought this was really good. It has the right amount of cheese and vegetables. Spike didn't eat very much because of the cupcake he had eaten before. So, he went back upstairs to finish his comic book before going to bed.

After Andrew and Twilight finished their meal, they put the dishes in the sink. They left the kitchen and went back to the main area. Both of them enjoyed some hot chocolate while she told him about the rest of her day doing research.

"So how often do you two organize all these books?" Andrew looked around at all the shelves filled with books.

"About once a month or so. I do so much research for my studies that I don't have time to put everything back where it should be. Not to mention books being checked out and returned by the residents of Ponyville."

"Well, you have a lot of books. Its a good thing you have an assistant to help you then."

"Yeah, I don't know what I'd do without Spike." Twilight smiled before letting out a yawn. "Well, I'm bushed from all that organizing and studying today. Thanks again for making up with Spike. He is like a little brother to me. It means a lot that you cared enough to do that for him." and gave him a hug. Andrew leaned down and hugged her back. After a few moments, he released her. Twilight made her way upstairs to the loft.

After Andrew finished cleaning the dishes, he got cleaned up and went upstairs. Both Twilight and Spike were already sound asleep in their beds. Twilight had a book opened up next to her. Andrew couldn't help but shake his head as he bookmarked her spot in the book and placed it on her nightstand. Unzipping his pants and stepping out of them, he slid into bed. He tried falling asleep but his thoughts kept going back to home. Has anyone missed him yet? Are they wondering where he was? As much as he didn't want to admit it, this place wasn't all that all that bad. Very nice people...ponies. Good food.

' _What was I going to do if I can't go back though?_ '

* * *

*knock knock knock*

Andrew moaned as he stirred from his slumber. Not wanting to get up, he hoped that Spike would get the door or whoever it was would go away. A few moments later, the knocking returned. The human figured that both Spike and Twilight were too sound asleep to hear any of it.

Rolling over, he slowly became aware of his surroundings. He became uncomfortably aware that he wasn't laying in a soft bed but on something a lot harder. Mentally, he hoped that he hadn't fallen out of bed in his sleep. Spike and Twilight would never let him hear the end of it.

Feeling the floor with his fingers, it felt like a carpet but Andrew knew that Twilight's library doesn't have a carpet. Andrew opened his eyes and realized that he was laying on the floor. Everything was a little hazy at first but his vision improved. What he saw shocked him. Everything looked familiar but not in the way he expected. There were shelves of books, a computer desk, plants, and posters on the walls. Then it finally hit him like a freight train.

This isn't Twilight s place. This is...my bedroom. I-I m back home! But how?

 _'Spike?'_  
 _'Twilight?'_


	5. Chapter 5 - Lunch & Revelations

**I know that it's been a long time since the last chapter. A lot of real life events have prevented me from working on this very much. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

 **Chapter 4: Lunch and Revelations**

"This isn't Twilight's place. This is...my apartment. I-I m back home! But how?"

 _'Spike?'_  
 _'Twilight?'_

Getting his bearing, Andrew slowly picked himself off the ground. Still a little groggy, he stumbled a bit before catching himself by placing a hand on a nearby bookshelf. _Alright. Alright. There has to be a rational explanation for all of this..but what is it? Am I dreaming or is this real?_

Andrew pinched the skin on his arm. "Ow, ow. Ok, I'm definitely awake."

*knock knock knock*

"Right. The door."

He took a couple breaths to calm himself down before making his way to the front door. Without even thinking, he unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Normally, he would have checked to see who it was first but his mind was still trying to process what was going on. Had he simply blacked out that night or had it all been real? If it was all a dream, it was the craziest one he'd ever had.

"Well, are you going to let us in or what?" Asked the voice on the other side of the door.

"Mom, is that you?" Andrew rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. He couldn't understand why his mom of all people would be here, not to mention his dad and sister.

"Well, of course it is. Who else would it be?" She chuckled as she gave her son a hug and ruffled his hair.

"W-What are you all doing here?" Andrew asked with some confusion in his voice. He was still trying to make sense out of what's going on.

"Oh, we were in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop by." His mother replied innocently.

"We live a couple states away from each other." Andrew deadpanned.

"Alright, alright. We wanted to surprise you with a visit. Can't blame a mother for wanting to see her son, can you? What took you so long to answer your door by the way?"

"I was..uh...in the bathroom. Yeah, real emergency." He thought of a response quickly.

"Sure. What's her name?" Katherine teased while she and their parents walked inside.

"There's no one here except me. Alright, [i]Kat[/i]?" Andrew responded rolling his eyes, closing the door behind him.

"Sure thing, _Andy."_ She responded jokingly.

Both siblings turned to stare at each other for a few moments until their serious faces broke into grins and then laughter as they hugged each other. They went into Andrew's bedroom so that they could talk in private.

"How are you doing, sis?"

"I'm doing great, big brother. I start working at the animal shelter next month. I've missed you so much." She emphasized the last part with another squeeze. "What about you? How's work?"

"I'm doing alright. Work is going well. I might be getting that promotion." Andrew tried his best to sound excited but his sister saw right through it. She had known him long enough to know when he's hiding something.

"Well, that's great! She exclaimed happily until she saw her brother's face. Katherine looked around to see if their parents were in earshot of them and leaned in closer to him. "Isn't it?"

"Well, I.." Before he could finish his respond, their mother came into the room.

"And what are you two talking about?" Their mom stood at the doorway.

"Nothing, mom. Just brother and sister stuff."

"Well, do you want to go out and get something to eat?" Mom asked.

"Actually, I'm not feeling that great. How about we make something up here? I should have something that we can whip together."

"Alright, if that's what you want."

Their mom left the room and they followed behind her. "Hey, you still owe me $15."

"Yeah, yeah." Andrew replied, playfully punching her in the arm.

Andrew helped his mother make some sandwiches and heat up some soup. They all sat down to eat. As they ate, Andrew couldn't help but notice that his mind kept going back to everything that he had done with Spike and Twilight. It still felt so real to him. "It felt so real." He muttered to himself, poking his food with his fork.

"What was so real, dear?" His mother asked between taking a bit from her sandwich.

"Oh..umm nothing, mom. Just a weird dream that I had. That's all." He took a bite of his sandwich but there was no flavor to it. It didn't taste like anything, The flavor, if it had any, was that of a rice cake than anything else. He looked down at his sandwich and saw the lettuce, tomato, and bacon but he didn't taste any of them. The sandwich in his hand started to get blurry, out of focus. Looking up from his hands, his parents and sister were becoming the same as well. He lifted his glasses to rub his eyes but it had no affect.

Shaking his head, he stood up and excused himself. "I-I'll be right back."

Something about all of this didn't feel right but he couldn't put his finger on it. Looking back at his family sitting at the table, nothing seemed out of place but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Suddenly, the voices of his parents and sister became more and more quiet until he couldn't hear anything that they were saying. Katherine had her hand to her mouth like she laughing about something but he couldn't hear her laughter.

"Mom? Dad?" He shouted as walked back to the table. None of them made any indication that they could hear him. They didn't even react when he waved his hand in front of their faces.

He placed his hand on his dad's shoulder but it went right through him. "What the hell?" Suddenly, everyone at the table melted away until he was alone.

"Wait! Come back!" Andrew shouted as he dropped to his knees and hung his head as a tear rolled down his cheek. Everything around him disappeared as well until everything faded to black. A few moments later, he was in an vast grassy field with a starry night sky. All he could hear was the wind blowing through the tall grass and his sniffling.

"Alright, who's there?" Andrew stood up, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. He shouted his questions until he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"A human? So it is true. What are you doing back in Equestria?" Asked the voice.

Andrew turned around to see a tall pony with dark blue fur and strange mane and tail that seemed to flow on their own. It almost looked like the night sky in the way they sparkled. Behind her horn sat a small black crown and around her neck was a neck piece with a crescent moon on it which matched the one on her flank. Her teal eyes gazed at him with surprise and concern. Twilight had explained to him the differences between pegusi, unicorns, and earth ponies but this pony had a horn and wings. She must be of a different species than the other ponies, he concluded.

"What do you mean what am I doing back in Equestria? I'm sorry but just who are you?" Andrew gave the pony a puzzled look.

"Oh, we..I apologize. I'm still not fully accustomed to socializing with others after my..banishment for so long. Our..my name is Princess Luna. My sister told me that Twilight had found a human but I did not believe it."

"So this was all a dream then and I was never home?" Andrew asked. He pinched his arm but he didn't feel anything. "Very strange..."

"I'm afraid not. You are simply dreaming. I am using my power so that we can communicate." Luna replied. "I assume that was your family?"

Andrew nodded. "That's right. My parents and my...sister."

"I am sorry. I know all to well what it is like to be away from one's family."

Andrew looked around him. "What is this place? I've never seen anything like it."

"This is the dreamscape where I can view the dreams of all ponies in Equestria. From here, I can protect them from their nightmares."

"So, why did you visit my dream?"

"I wanted to see if what my sister said was true. Twilight Sparkle wouldn't know what a human looks like but Celestia and I would."

"Are you saying that humans have been to Equestria before?"

Luna nodded, "That is correct, a very long time ago." She did her best to hide her sadness."But this isn't the time or place to discuss it. Our time is almost up anyway. I can sense the sun will be coming up soon."

"Wait. You don't happen to how to send me back home, do you?"

Luna sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. My sister, Celestia, and I are still researching though. We will see each other again, I promise you. Farewell."

Luna melted into the background and disappeared as everything faded to black. This last thing Andrew saw were her glowing eye, watching him.

* * *

Andrew opened his eyes to the chirping of the birds outside. The dream was still vivid in his mind, his family and Princess Luna. "What the hell was that all about?" He muttered to himself. Seeing his family again weighed heavily on him. Even though it was a dream, it was good seeing them again.

Looking over at the alarm clock, it said 7:25. Spike and Twilight were still asleep in their beds. For several minutes, Andrew tried to go back to sleep but with no luck. Finally giving up, he resigned his fate of getting up and got out of bed. Putting his clothes back on, he slowly made his way downstairs, being careful not to wake the pony and dragon.

To pass the time, he decided to look at the various books Twilight had in her collection until one caught his eye, 'The Tale of the Two Sisters'. Looking through the book, he noticed a picture of the two sisters. The one looked like the pony from his dream. "Could that have been her?" He asked himself.

'Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestira, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land...' Andrew read intently until he heard hoofsteps and feet coming down the stairs. He looked up and saw Twilight and Spike.

"Morning you two."

"Good Morning. I'm surprised to see you up so early this morning. Is everything alright?" Twilight asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a weird dream and couldn't fall back asleep, that's all." Andrew closed the book. "So, I came down here to do some reading. I hope you don't mind but I found this book on your shelf and decided to give it a try."

"Oh, not at all. You can help yourself to my books whenever you want. Which one is it? Did you like it?" Twilight asked, intently.

"It pretty good so far. It's about two pony sisters that ruled over Equestria." Andrew held up the book so they could see it.

"That's the story of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I like that story." Twilight looked at the book and then back to the human. "May I ask what made you pick out that one?"

Andrew scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not really sure. I could have something to do with my dream last night. Someone called Princess Luna appeared and talked to me."

"Princess Luna visited you in your dream?" Twilight was surprised that Luna would visit the dreams of the human.

"Yeah. She told me something really strange though." Andrew looked at his hands folded on his lap before continuing. He didn't feel like telling Twilight about the other part of his dream just yet. Not that he didn't trust her, he didn't feel like talking about it at the moment. "She said that humans have been to Equestria before, a long time ago."

"They have? I wonder why they are not mentioned in any of the history books. If they were here, then what happened to all of them?

"That s a good question. Maybe they are but not ones that just anypony would have access to, Twilight." Spike chimed in.

"You could be right, Spike. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been around for thousands of years. I'm sure they must know something about what happened. Though I wonder why she never told me about these humans before." Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof.

"I don't know but I'm sure there is a reason why. Something must have happened to them since they aren't around anymore."

"If you ask the Princess, I'm sure that she will tell you, Twilight."

"I wrote a letter to her the other day about Andrew but I haven't heard back from her."

"Oh, Luna said that two of them were searching for a way to send me home. Perhaps she's just been too busy to reply back to you."

"That could be it, I'm sure. She is busy ruling over Equestria after all." Twilight said.

"Luna did mention something that I didn't pick up on at the time. She said something about being banished for a long time. Do you know what that's all about?"

Twilight and Spike looked at each other before turning back to the human. "It's a long story that started about a 1,000 years ago." Twilight used her magic to open the book to the appropriate section.

"I'll start making breakfast while you explain everything to him, Twi." Spike offered.

"Thanks Spike." Twilight smiled at the dragon.

"Good luck, dude. You're gonna need it." Spike whispered to Andrew, before snickering and making his way to the kitchen.

Twilight rolled here eyes and groaned as Spike left, causing Andrew to chuckle.

While Spike was in the kitchen, Twilight explained to the human about Princess Luna becoming Nightmare Moon and her banishment to the moon by Princess Celestia. Andrew listened intently as Twilight told him how she had learned about Nightmare Moon's return and how she and her friends found the elements of harmony and used them to turn Princess Luna back to good. She also described some of their adventures together while learning about friendship. Andrew had many questions about Twilight's friends and the Princesses which Twilight was more than happy to answer. A little while later, Twilight and Andrew decided it was time for breakfast and made their way to the kitchen.

"You're friends sound like great people..er..I mean ponies. I've already met Rarity and she was very generous. I guess that's why she got the element of generosity." Andrew remarked.

"They really are. I don't know what I'd do without them. Ever since I started learning about friendship, I couldn't imagine my life without my friends. They're very important to me."

After having omelettes for breakfast, Andrew took a shower and went upstairs to get dressed. Downstairs, Spike and Twilight were going through the stacks of books that were spread out everywhere.

"What are you two doing?" Andrew asked as he walked down the stairs.

"Oh good, you're all cleaned up. Spike and I are just cleaning things around here after all that researching I was doing. I haven't have a chance to put any of these books back yet." Twilight said while putting books back on the shelf where they belonged.

Andrew looked around at all the piles of books everywhere, some were as tall as he was. He hadn't realized how much Twilight had actually done for him, for a complete stranger. Helping her clean everything up was the least that he could do.

"Where can I start?" He asked as he grabbed a couple books from a pile. Suddenly, those books were surrounded in a purple magical field which pulled them from his grasp.

Twilight looked at the human and shook her head, "Oh no no no. I couldn't ask you to help clean up. You're our guest. It just wouldn't feel right."

Andrew placed a hand on her shoulder. "Twilight, you've done so much for me already. You've let me stay in your home and tried finding a way to send me home. There's no way I could ever repay you for that. Please let me do this for you."

"Well, if you're sure. Thanks!" Twilight's face brightened with a smile.

After a few minutes of cleaning, Spike grabbed a scroll off of the table and opened it. His eyes shot open as he read the scroll's contents. His voice sounded like he was really worried about something. "Uh Twilight?"

"Yes Spike?" Twilight responded while levitating some books onto their propers positions on the shelves.

"Umm..You didn't happen to forget about something happening today, did you?" Spike asked nervously while looking between the scroll and the lavender pony.

"Hmmm...not that I can think of." Twilight shook her head and used her magic to pull the calendar off the wall. After looking at it for a few moments, she let out a gasp. "The lunch! I totally forgot!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed, momentarilly startling Andrew and Spike. She turned around and grabbed the piece of parchment from Spike's hands and paced back and forth while she read it to herself.

"Uh Spike, what's got Twilight so freaked out?" Andrew asked.

"You mean Twilight didn't tell you?"

Andrew shook his head at the dragon.

Spike sighed and continued. "Can't say I'm surprised since she's been so busy lately. She invited our friends over for lunch today so that they could meet you. That's a checklist of everything that she needs to do before they get here. She gets like this everytime she forgets something."

The lavender pony stopped her pacing and addressed both of them in a frantic voice. "We still need to finish cleaning, go to the market to get food, and make lunch for everyone. There isn't enough time to get everything done. Oh, why did I forget about this."

Andrew had worked under pressure before and knew keeping a level head is what they needed. He knelt down to Twilight's level and placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to gasp and look up at him. "Look at me Twilight, it'll be alright. You keep working on these books while Spike and I will go to the market and make the food. Sound like a plan?"

Twilight was suprised that Andrew was taking charge and helping her out. "Are..are you sure?"

Andrew smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Absolutely. Spike and I have got this. Plus, I'm no stranger around a kitchen."

The human and dragon devised a game plan and left the library for the market to get everything that they needed. Andrew wasn't sure what ponies ate so he let Spike decide what to get. A little while later, they arrived back with bags of food in their hands. Once they got to the kitchen, they got started cooking.  
"Alright Spike, I'll get started on these sandwiches while you get those cookies baked." Andrew said while he started prepping the vegetables for the sandwiches. "What kind did you say they were again?

"My famous triple-decker, nut-crazy vanilla-cream cookies." Spike responded proudly, folding his arms.

Andrew drooled at the description of the cookies. "That sounds really good."

"Hehe. Just wait till you taste them." Spike grinned at the human before giving him a more serious look. "Thanks for helping Twilight with this by the way. I'm sure she really appreciates it."

"No problem. It's the least that I can do, Spike." Andrew smiled back at the dragon as he was cutting the vegetables. "So, how many ponies are coming over?"

"Let's see..umm..five." Spike responded after using his claws to count.

"Five huh? That doesn't seem too bad."

"Yeah, you have nothing to worry about. They'll like you. You'll see." Spike said, looking up from the mixing bowl as he finished mixing the ingrediants together. He placed a batch in the oven, closed the door, and set the timer. "Need any help with those?"

"No, I think I'm just about done actually." Andrew replied, turning his head to the dragon.

Spike walked over and looked at all the sandwiches Andrew had made. His eyes got big and his mouth opened with drool coming out. "Those look great. Everypony will love those. Now, I know what Twilight and Fluttershy's favorites are. So, I'll show you how to make them."

"Alright."

* * *

After much cleaning, sorting, and baking, there was a few knocks at the front door which startled Spike from his dusting. "Coming!" Spike ran down the stairs, still wearing his pink apron and carrying a feather duster. Opening the door, the dragon was greeted by his pony friends. "Hello ladies. Oh..uh..Hi Rarity." Spike blushed while waving at her.

"Hi'ya Spike. So ummm, where is the 'special guest' of y'alls anyway?" Applejack asked as she walked inside. She kept turning her head like she was expecting something dangerous to leap out.

"Oh, he's still in the kitchen and Twilight is upstairs." Spike pointed upward with a claw.

"As I told you before, Applejack, you have nothing to worry about. He was very friendly with me and Sweetie Belle yesterday." Rarity said trying to alleviate her friend's concerns.

The four mares trotted upstairs and saw their best friend reading a book. They shook their heads knowing what a bookworm their friend was but they still loved her regardless.

"They're here, Twilight!" Spike shouted to the floor above.

"I can see that Spike." Twilight let out a chuckle before addressing her friends. "Girls, thank you for coming. I want to you to meet my guest. He's a long way from home and he has been staying here for the past couple days. His appearance may be a little strange but there's no need to be afraid."

A few moments later, footsteps could be heard coming upstairs. The said human came up the stairs carrying a tray of food.

"Alright Spike. That's the last of them." Andrew placed the tray of food on the table next to the other food they had prepared. Turning away from the table, he saw what he assumed was Twilight's friends standing there, staring at him.

Twilight smiled at Andrew and waved her hoof at her friends. "Andrew, these are my friends, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy."

The four mares stopped in their tracks and stared at the human, all except for Rarity who had already met him. The others didn't know what to make of the strange creature in front of them.

Rarity rolled her eyes and shot a glare over at her friends, "Girls, really? There's no reason to be so rude to our guest."

Andrew was getting a little nervous with all of them staring at him. So, he decided to break the ice. Taking a deep breath, he took a few steps closer to them and introduced himself to the mares.

"Hi, my name is Andrew. Its nice to meet all of you." He waved at each of Twilight's friends.

"Well, Ah'll be."Applejack stared at the human before shaking her head and holding her hat over her chest. "Name's Applejack. Nice to make yer acquaintance, Andrew."

"Nice to meet you as well, Applejack." Applejack placed the hat back on her head and extended her hoof which Andrew shook.

Andrew released her hoof and looked to the yellow pegasus sitting next to Applejack but a little behind her. Flutteryshy slowly walked over next to her friends. She had been hanging back to see how this creature would react to her friends.

"Um..excuse me. Umm..Twilight said that you were far away from home. Is that right?" Fluttershy asked in a quiet yet soft voice. She looked at the human from behind her pink mane.

"That's right." Andrew replied to the yellow pony.

Fluttershy looked at the human before trotting up to him and placing a hoof on his leg. "Oh you poor thing. I couldn't imagine behind away from home and my furry friends."

Twilight turned her head and looked around the room, "Wait, where's Pinkie? She was just here a moment ago. Where did she-"

"Hello!" A pink pony jumped out from behind the sitting chair, startling the human. She bounced around until she stoped in front of him. She had a poofy mane and tail, almost like cotton candy, and there was three balloons on her flank. The pony's two overly-large blue eyes just stared at him as she bounced up and down.

"So this is where you've been. I've been looking everywhere for you. Well not everywhere or I would have found you already, duh. Mrs. Cake said that Twilight had came in with with a strange looking creature that she's never seen before. I knew then that it had to do with my body shuddering earlier that day meaning that something you never expect to happen is going to happen. Whatever it is, it's a doozy. I know everypony and I mean everypony, in Ponyville. So, that means you are new here which is so exciting! I'm Pinkie Pie and I'm going to throw you a par-Mmfph..."

A hoof from Rarity came over the hyperactive pony's mouth but she kept talking. "That's quite enough, Pinkie Pie. I think the poor thing has got the idea."

Suddenly there was a booming sound of something coming through the front door, startling everyone. A blur of rainbow colors shot up the stairs and over everyone's heads. A wind followed behind it, messing up hairs and manes of everyone present. Rarity let out a shreek and whimper as she noticed her mane was no longer up to her marvelous standards. She busied herself styling it back to her satisfaction.

Andrew stared as the rainbow blur shot around the room until it stopped in front of him.

"Sorry I'm late, everypony. I was busy practicing some new tricks for the Wonderbolts and lost track of time." Rainbow Dash flicked flicked her main before taking a moment to look the unfamiliar creature up and down. "So are you supposed to be that thing that everypony in town is talking about? What in the hay are you supposed to be anyway?"

"Rainbow Dash! There's no need to be so rude. Our guest here has a name." Rarity chided her cyan-colored friend. "I must apologize for my friend here. Sometimes she leaves her manners in the clouds."

"Alright, alright. Where did you come from anyway? Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, you see I.." Andrew started before he was cut off by the pink pony.

"Oh, I know! He's from another world where everyone looks like him and everycreature like us can't talk. He touched a magic glowing thingy that sucked him inside. It then sent him crashing through the sky where he landed outside." She took a big breath before continuing. "Right?"

Everyone looked at Pinkie Pie dumbfounded. "Wait, how did you know all that?" Andrew asked, confused how the pink pony knew so much about what happened.

The pink pony just shrugged her shoulders non-nonchalantly, "Ehh, just a hunch." She ended with a big smile before hopping away. The other ponies just smiled and shook their heads.

"W-What was that all about?" Andrew gestured towards Pinkie with his thumb.

Twilight held her hoof to her mouth and giggled. "First thing about living in Ponyville is don't try to figure out Pinkie Pie."

Andrew closed his eyes and shook his head before looking at the mares again. "Pinkie is pretty much right but perhaps I should start at the beginning." He proceeded to explain to the ponies everything he knew about how he arrived there, starting his normal day at work and coming home to finding a glowing sphere inside his apartment and then waking up in Twilight's house. "And that's all I can remember happening until I woke up here." He leaned back in the chair and took at sip from the cup of tea.

The mares stared at him in disbelief. They were silent until Applejack broke the silence. "So yer say'n that yer from another world and everything you said was the truth?"

Andrew looked at the orange pony and nodded, "That's right."

"Another world huh? I guess that's kinda cool but not as cool as me." Rainbow Dash held a forehoof to her chest and chuckled before extending that hoof to Andrew. "Name's Rainbow Dash. Fastest flyer in Equestria."

Andrew went to shake her hoof but gave her a hoof bump instead. "Nice to meet you too Rainbow Dash. I must say, that was quite and entrance you made. I've never seen anything move that fast before."

"I am pretty awesome, aren't I?" Rainbow Dash's boasting caused a few eye rolls and groans from the other ponies. She came to the ground, folding her wings to her sides and joined her friends.

Twilight looked at each of her friends and smiled, "Thank you for coming over and helping our guest feel welcome. I know that none of us would want to feel alone being away from our families."

"Sure thing Twi. Happy to help!" Applejack proclaimed. Her friends all smiled and nodded as well.

"Now let's eat!" Exclaimed Pinkie Pie, bouncing around.

Andrew followed the mares over to the tables that had been set up with a punch bowl, the sandwiches that he and spike had made, as well as a salad. After waiting his turn, he grabbed a sandwich and an apple. On another table, there was a barrel with a tap was set up.

"What's in here?" He muttered to himself.

"Why that is mah family's apple cider. Give it a try." Applejack cheerfully replied and filled a mug of cider before handing it to Andrew.

Andrew grabbed the mug and lifted it to his lips and took a sip of the cold brew. After letting the rich flavor linger in his mouth, he determined that it was the best cider that he'd ever tasted.

"This cider is amazing." Andrew took another sip.

"Well, thank ya kindly. Ah do appreciate a satisfied customer." Applejack bowed her head before raising it. "Now if only a certain Miss Rainbow Dash would let others have a taste as well."

"Oh..Umm..excuse me." A gentle voice came up from behind he human. The voice was soft enough that he wasn't startled by it.

Andrew turned around and saw Fluttershy standing behind him. He knelt down to her level. "Well, hello there. I'm sorry, sometimes I am horrible with names. sometimes I wonder how I can remember my own." He chuckled lightly. "You're Fluttershy right?"

Fluttershy nodded from behind her pink mane. "Oh..umm...that's right. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're feeling better. That's all." She said before looking at the floor.

A puzzled look came across the human's face as he tried to determine what she was referring to. "Umm..thanks. What do you mean?" Andrew responded, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh that's right." Twilight appeared behind the two of them and chimed in. "I forgot to tell you that the night you arrived here, I went to get Fluttershy came by and have her look after you. Since I don't know much about medicine or human physiology for that matter. I thought that she would be best to make sure you were alright."

"I didn't notice anything wrong expect a bump on the head. So I told Twilight that it would be alright to take you home with her."

"Well, thank you Fluttershy. I appreciate it." Andrew went to place a hand on her shoulder but she backed away slowly.

"You're..umm..welcome." Fluttershy's cheeks blushed a little and she hid her face behind her mane again.

Andrew looked at Twilight, confused at the yellow mare's reaction to him.

"Don't worry about her. She's just shy around new ponies. Give her time."

Andrew nodded. "It's fine. I know what it's like to be around new people. In this case for me, it would be ponies."

Andrew sat down on the couch with his food and drink. For the next hour or so, he answered their questions about his world and what he did there. Rarity was curious about human fashion and what they wore. Twilight had more questions about science and discoveries that humans had made. Rainbow Dash didn't seem that interested. She was more interested in the food and chatting with Pinkie Pie. The more he talked with them and saw them interact with each other, the less he saw them as animals. They, especially Twilight, were curious about things, and even had hopes and dreams.

"Hey Pinkie Pie! How about saving some of those cookies for everypone else?!" Rainbow dash shouted at the pink party pony enlarged her mouth to a much larger size and proceeded to tip the entire tray of cookies over into her mouth. The empty tray landed on the table with nothing but crumbs and cookie and bits of chocolate.

Pinkie chewed and swallowed the contents of the tray before replying to the blue pegasus, "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. I'm sure Spike made more. Riiiiiiight?" Against all laws of nature, Pinkie extended her neck till her head was next to Spike's

Spike turned his head to see Pinky's face grinning back at him. This startled and almost made him spill his drink. "AAHH! Geez, Pinkie. You scared me half to death." Spike took several gasps of air until he regained his normal breathing pattern.

"Hey Rainbow Dash, don't worry, there's another batch in the kitchen. I'll go grab it." Andrew chuckled as he went down to the kitchen.

A few moments later, Andrew came back upstairs and watched the ponies interact with each other. For the briefest of moments, Andrew forgot where he was. The ponies around him finally seemed like real people and not just talking animals. They didn't judge him or treat him differently, not like the people back home would. He grabbed the tray of cookies and walked out of the kitchen to join Twilight's friends. But that melancholy came crashing to a halt when Spike made a belching noise.

Spike burped up a scroll and Twilight caught it with her magic. She opened it and started to read.

"Its a message from Princess Celestia." Twilight chimed as she read it..

 _My dearest, most faithful student Twilight,_

 _As you know, I have had Canterlot's best magic scholars look into your guest's situation. I regret to inform you that they have been unsuccessful in finding a way to send him back to his home. Please express to him my sincerest apologies. I would like to invite the both of you to come to Canterlot as soon as possible._

The silence was broken by the sound of of the plate Andrew was holding shattering against the wooden floor, sending its contents everywhere.

"What?"


End file.
